[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]U.S. District Court Judge John Bates ruled last Friday that the Trump administration ended the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program unlawfully.  Judge Bates ordered the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to restore the program by August 23rd.  This is the third district court ruling against the Trump administration in how it handled the termination of the DACA program. DACA was implemented under President Obama with the goal of protecting young immigrants who were brought to the United States illegally when they were children.  About 800,000 people received DACA benefits before the program was ended last September.  Previous court rulings have allowed DACA recipients to renew their legal status, but have not reopened the program to new applicants. Judge Bates stated that his ruling does not mean that the Trump administration cannot end the DACA program, but that it requires legal justification for doing so.  To date, the justifications used in court to end the program have been considered "arbitrary and capricious."  The government has until August 23 to submit an appeal. See the full news story here. The fight for DACA is not yet over.  Should DACA be fully restored, the Law Offices of Scott Warmuth will be helping eligible young immigrants apply for the program's benefits.  For a free immigration consultation, call our offices today at 888-517-9888.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]It's no secret that the Trump administration is doing what it can to discourage immigration, both illegal and legal.  Two news stories today showed push back against those trends. House Appropriations Committee Rebukes Asylum Guidance In a moment of bipartisanship, the United States House of Representatives House Appropriation Committee voted unanimously passed a measure that would overturn Attorney General Jeff Sessions's guidance that immigrants are prohibited from using claims of gang or domestic violence as a means to gain asylum.  The amendment bars funding from government efforts to enforce the issued guidance. The amendment is being attached to the spending bill for the Department of Homeland Security.  It is not known if the measured passed by the House Appropriations Committee will ultimately be included in the final bill. See the full news story here. Lawsuit Against Census Citizenship Question Moves Forward A federal judge has allowed a lawsuit to remove the newly added citizenship question from the 2020 census.  A question asking about citizenship has not been on the decennial census since 1950.  Plaintiffs in the lawsuit allege that the decision to reinstate the question was motivated by discrimination and will have a discriminatory effect.  The judge agreed. Critics have complained that asking the citizenship question will suppress responses to the census among both legal immigrants and undocumented immigrants.  Census counts are used to draw legislative districts, apportion seats in the United States House of Representatives, and to distribute federal revenue. See the full news story here. Immigration law is every changing.  If you have a question about immigration or would like to seek a temporary visa, green card, or U.S. citizenship, talk to one of our immigration lawyers today at 888-517-9888.  The Law Offices of Scott Warmuth offers 100% free initial consultations.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]With news flying a mile a minute, it's sometimes difficult to keep up.  Two recent immigration stories we've blogged about have been back in the news. Government on Track to Reunite Families Separated at the Border Original story: Federal Judge Rules that Separated Families Must be Reunited The judge who ordered the Trump administration to reunite migrant families separated at the border has said that the government is on track to meet the court-ordered deadline tomorrow.  According to administration figures, 1,637 parents are eligible to be reunited with their children.  1,012 of those parents have already been reunited with their children. Additional numbers were provided by the Justice Department.

• 914 parents are ineligible to be reunited with their children.
• 37 children separated at the border have not been matched with a parent.
• 463 parents were possibly deported without their children.
• 20 families have been deported after reunification.

See the full news story here. Judge Orders Release of Pizza Delivery Man from Immigration Detention Original story: Immigration Story out of New York is a Sign of the Times A judge ordered the immediate release of an undocumented man attempting to deliver pizza to a military base in New York City on Tuesday. Pablo Villavicencio Calderon has been in immigration detention since his arrest on June 1. At the time of his arrest, Calderon was married to an American citizen and had a pending green card application. Federal district court judge Paul A. Crotty, a George W. Bush appointee, granted Calderon a stay of deportation while his permanent residency case is considered. Crotty had some pointed questions for the U.S. government lawyer tasked with keeping Calderon locked up, asking if the government's case against Calderon displayed "any concept of justice". See the full news story here.[/vc_column_text][vc_separator color="custom" border_width="2" accent_color="#90231a"][vc_column_text]The Law Offices of Scott Warmuth provides immigration legal help to people who want to work and live in the United States.  Our immigration lawyers can make the process of applying for permanent residency or a work visa simple.  For a free consultation, call us today at 888-517-9888.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]In 2008, the George W. Bush administration initiated a program designed to recruit immigrants into the United States armed forces to fill skill and language gaps throughout the military.  The Military Accessions Vital to the National Interest (MANVI) program offered expedited naturalization to immigrants who enlisted in the United States military.  The program was only offered to immigrants or foreigners who were legally in the country.  At least 10,000 military recruits have been through MANVI. Now, the Trump administration appears to be dismantling the program, going so far as to unexpectedly discharge service members and reservists without explanation.  A recent AP story details how many enlisted immigrants who were promised a path to U.S. citizenship now face an uncertain future.  Explanations for why the service members were being discharged are being told they are security risks.  Several of them have filed lawsuit in an attempt to undo the discharge orders. It is likely that more information about the Trump administration's decision to discharge these immigrant recruits will come to light in future reporting. News affecting immigration has been coming at a fast clip over the past few months.  The Law Offices of Scott Warmuth actively stays on top of the news in order to best serve our immigration clients.  Immigration to the United States has become much more difficult in the current political climate.  Our immigration attorneys strive to ensure our clients are treated fairly.  For a free consultation, call us today at 888-517-9888. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]